Fabric to reopen with new Pioneer Pro Audio install

A Pioneer Pro Audio sound system will become a new feature of Room Two at London nightclub fabric once the venue reopens in the near future after much anticipation.

The system consists of speakers from Pioneer Pro Audio’s XY Series, replacing the previous setup which had been in use for 14 years.

According to the manufacturer – which has also been named Room Two's official audio partner – prior to the club’s temporary closure the system in the 500-capacity Room Two had become "tired" and "wasn’t delivering the full dynamic range," as Andy Blackett, promotions manager at the club, explained: “With techno it was fine but if you played house in here it always sounded raw and a bit too punchy. So we decided to look at new systems to help correct that.”

When invited to demo a system in the club, Pioneer Pro Audio’s manager Alex Barrand said he chose the XY series because its versatility and relatively small cabinet sizes meant that speakers could be positioned anywhere necessary to ensure even coverage in the awkwardly shaped room.

“I was looking for full-range sound, a lot of sub-bass, a lot of bass but also a very full range and I found Pioneer Pro Audio was the best system for that, easily,” remarked Keith Reynolds, fabric’s technical manager, while the club’s founding partner Cameron Leslie added: “You could see everybody looking at each other and just nodding as if to say, ‘Yes, that's perfect’.”

Housed in a Victorian cold store, fabric’s brick structure, railway arch ceilings and the unusual shape of Room Two meant that a whole host of factors needed to be considered. To make things trickier, the club wanted to begin installation on a Sunday and open as usual the following Friday night. “I was scared about that,” admitted Reynolds. “But the guys from Pioneer Pro Audio came in and did it in three days. We were ready by Wednesday and we spent Thursday just tuning and smiling. It was some feat.”

The install comprises 26 speakers from the XY Series, including ten XY-218S twin 18in subwoofers and 12 XY-122 12in full range speakers, and the whole system is driven by Powersoft amplifiers with AES digital connections.

“Putting the XY series in there and having clusters around the dancefloor created total coverage,” explained Pioneer Pro Audio’s Barrand. “You also hear a lot more definition and detail because instead of four compression drivers which were previously in the room, there are 12 now. We had to be mindful not to cause any undue fatigue to people on the dancefloor because of the compression drivers, but to really work with it in a way where we can enhance the full dynamics and coverage of the system.”

Having been used for a few weeks before the club’s temporary closure, the new system is already a hit with both the club’s staff and the artists who perform there. “I always really liked the system in Room Two, but to my surprise they’ve made it even better,” said international DJ Jackmaster. “I really noticed the difference in there. The energy seemed to really step up a notch.”